Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has issued a five-year report on the National Assembly, revealing that during this period, the assembly weakened democracy. The average daily expenditure of the National Assembly was 65 million rupees (approximately 6.5 crore) and the hourly expenditure during sessions was 42 million rupees (approximately 4.2 crore).
According to the PILDAT report, elected representatives used the opportunity to weaken democracy. The National Assembly’s daily average expenditure was 65 million rupees, and the hourly average expenditure during sessions was 42 million rupees. Over the five years, the National Assembly spent 200 million rupees on Members of the National Assembly (MNAs).
The report indicated that during the 15th National Assembly, attendance of members was 61%, with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s attendance at only 11%, and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s attendance at 17%. Comparatively, in the past assemblies, the 13th National Assembly saw Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s attendance at 76%, making Imran Khan’s attendance the lowest among the 9 Prime Ministers in the last 20 years.
The report highlighted that the 15th National Assembly failed to play a significant role in resolving major crises. Elected representatives from political parties used the National Assembly to undermine each other. Their lack of focus on legislation, lack of decorum, and irrelevant discussions in the 15th National Assembly reflected a lack of seriousness.
According to the report, the 15th National Assembly passed 279 laws during its five-year tenure. However, legislation passed in the final days of the assembly weakened the fundamental principles of parliamentary democracy. There was a 45% increase in the number of laws passed compared to the 192 laws passed during the 14th National Assembly’s tenure.
The report stated that during the last 21 days of the National Assembly, 73 bills were passed, out of which 36 bills were passed without being referred to committees. The National Assembly passed 126 bills during the first three years of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, but during the coalition government’s sixteen months, 153 bills were passed.
The report also highlighted the misuse of ordinances during PTI’s term, with 75 ordinances presented in the National Assembly. In comparison, 72 ordinances were presented during the PTI’s term, and three ordinances were presented during the coalition government’s term.
During the five years of the 15th National Assembly, there were 452 sessions, compared to 495 sessions in the 14th National Assembly. The National Assembly needs to hold an average of 130 sessions per year, but during the five years, the National Assembly held an average of only 90 sessions per year.
The report further revealed that 50% of agenda items remained incomplete during the 15th National Assembly’s sessions. There were 105 instances of quorum being pointed out during the five years, leading to 72 adjournments of the National Assembly due to incomplete quorum.
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